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Upon earning an M.D. from the University of Iowa and serving an internship in Milwaukee, WI, Charley F. Gutch, M.D. (1920-2009) entered the United States Navy as a medical officer in 1944. The Navy honorably discharged Gutch from active duty in 1946. Gutch served with the Sino-American Cooperative Organization (SACO), of the U.S. Navy Group China. Between March 1945 and June 1946, he wrote almost daily to his spouse, Elizabeth (Betty). Upon receiving the letters, Betty Gutch made typescripts for her parents, as well as the parents of Dr. Gutch. The typescripts include annotations by Betty, e.g., letters of May 11 and 18, 1945, and some letters are abbreviated versions of the much longer, handwritten letters. The digital collection comprises images of the typescripts. As a collection, the letters describe daily routines while at sea and at duty stations in India, China, and Guam. Letters include descriptions and comments on local customs near Calcutta, India, as well as locations in China, including Chungking (Chongging), Shanghai, Tsingtao (Qingdao), and Hong Kong. The letters contain brief comments on medical services and conclude with those that Dr. Gutch wrote from Fleet Hospital 103 in Guam.

Images from this collection may be downloaded for noncommercial educational and research purposes on the condition that The University of South Dakota, Archives and Special Collections is credited as the source. For permission to use a particular item for any other purpose, such as publishing, video production, exhibits, product presentations, interior design, or advertising, you must contact The University of South Dakota, Archives and Special Collections. The user is responsible for all issues of copyright.